Global Online Purchase Intentions Have Doubled Since 2011

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

A Nielsen report states online purchase intentions around the world have doubled since 2011 for many durable and entertainment-related categories. Nearly half of global respondents intend to make an online purchase in the next six months in high-prominence categories including clothing (46 percent), and airline (48 percent) and hotel (44 percent) reservations.

The study underlines the importance of a good website and mobile app in terms of ROI for retailers. 

The survey also demonstrated that when it comes to shopping online in many categories, there is a one-to-one correlation between browsing and buying online.

According to John Burbank, president of strategic initiatives, “Strong online browse-to-buy conversion rates for fast-moving consumer goods translates to loyal repeat customers for these categories. While these categories are still in the early stages of online adoption, these correlation rates signal great news for online retailers. Now is the time to create omni-channel experiences for consumers who are actively using both digital and physical platforms to research and purchase, as consumers increasingly don’t make a distinction between the two.”

The Nielsen Global Survey of e-commerce polled more than 30,000 Internet respondents in 60 countries to examine the online shopping and purchasing intentions of consumers worldwide. The study provides clarity about global consumers’ buying intentions for both consumable and non-consumable categories in the growing e-commerce landscape.

And most consumers are turning to their mobile devices to aid in their browsing and purchasing process. That means that reliable and user-friendly apps have demonstrable ROI for your customers.

“The study shows the ascendancy of the mobile device as a primary device for e-commerce consumers around the globe,” said Burbank. “Over the coming year or two, the industry will need to examine these habits in more detail.”